


Not All Who Wander Are Lost

by Sanshal



Series: Puppy 'Verse [1]
Category: Supernatural RPF
Genre: Alpha Jensen, Alpha/Beta/Omega Dynamics, Angst and Hurt/Comfort, Angst with a Happy Ending, M/M, Omega Jared, Past Rape/Non-con, Past Sexual Assault
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-10-22
Updated: 2014-10-22
Packaged: 2018-02-22 05:04:57
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 5,554
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/2495495
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Sanshal/pseuds/Sanshal
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>The agonized keen that sliced through the chaotic bedlam of the raid had the fine hairs at Jensen’s nape standing to attention. Even as he straightened, eyes scanning to discover its source; he heard his men calling him.</p><p>“Captain! You need to see this!”</p>
            </blockquote>





	Not All Who Wander Are Lost

**Author's Note:**

> Warning- (Past) abuse, A/b/o dynamics, Alpha-to-omega turning  
> \-----------------------------------------------------------------------------

 

  
**Title** - ** _Not All Who Wander Are Lost_**

 

**_*Then*_ **

The agonized keen that sliced through the chaotic bedlam of the raid had the fine hairs at Jensen’s nape standing to attention. Even as he straightened, eyes scanning to discover its source; he heard his men calling him.

_“Captain! You need to see this!”_

He followed the voice to a room near the back of the hellhole where the raid was taking place already suspecting what he was going to find.

“f***!”

“Damn it! Get him!”

“No!”

*

Jensen increased the length of his strides as the voices reached him, a terrible feeling in his gut propelling him forward. When he rounded the corner and stepped into the room; he almost stepped back out again in horror. A naked man was held on the floor bound by numerous chains to hold him immobile. A scold’s bridle covered the head; and a full body harness weighed down by weights kept him bent even as a humbler ensured the prisoner wouldn’t be able to rise without causing himself terrible agony. The spreader baring his intimate parts completed the degrading picture.

But what made Jensen draw back was the silver choker wrapped snugly around the man’s throat identifying his species.

*

“He tried to grab Will when he got too close and Will reacted instinctively-”

Jensen winced; his eyes automatically drawing to the Were’s hand which was already purpling from _Will’s reaction._

“Shit” He murmured _. This Were had already been hurt enough, he didn’t need any more pain._

“Captain, we need to catalogue this” James continued.

He nodded.

“He won’t hold still; and frankly I’m afraid we’re going to end up injuring him...”

Jensen looked back into the room where his men surrounded the man; distressed keens still reverberating from his throat.

“I’ll see what I can do” Jensen bit out, stepping back in and allowing his Alpha off the leash. He tried to focus all his feelings of protection and safety as he projected his alpha; hoping against hope that the Omega would take solace from them. _Him_

Despite having hoped for these very results, he was still taken aback when the plaintive keens ceased abruptly almost the same instant he unleashed his alpha. His men too seemed to be taken aback at the sudden cessation of sound and one- he couldn’t identify with the helmet; stepped closer to see what had brought the sudden change.

“No!”

The man stopped, looking back at him, one foot still in the air in an aborted step.

“Don’t- don’t touch him. Do what you have to; but don’t touch. And keep as much distance as possible.” Jensen commanded; stepping aside so his men could do their job.

It seemed like an eternity had passed before the team finished; although it couldn’t have been more than mere minutes as somehow everyone in the room understood the need for speed.

When the last technician was finally done, he nodded to Jensen, waiting for further instructions.

“Alright, everybody out”

His second-in-command looked startled at the order; but Jensen just shook his head; already moving towards the bound man.

*

Teary tip-tilted hazel eyes blinked up at him as he crouched by the man- although on closer inspection he suspected the Were couldn’t have been more than a boy.

“Hey” He whispered, reaching out to gently card through dirty chocolate locks, “I’m going to get you out of here, alright?”

The boy nodded.

“You trust me? Can I touch? I’ll just be releasing the bindings, I promise”

He waited for the nod before moving to unclasp the silver collar; biting back a wince when he felt its burn even through his gloves and wondering what it must have felt like to the boy on his bare neck.

An opened, empty evidence bag was held out and Jensen shook his head wryly as he dropped the choker inside; realizing that his second-in-command had stayed back although he didn’t interfere with Jensen’s actions.

He tilted his head in silent acknowledgement even as he worked to unclasp the bridle, easing it out of the boy’s mouth as delicately as he could manage. Next he moved to the weights tied to the harness; working quickly to remove them before moving to the boy’s head once more. He would have liked to remove the harness itself; but many of its clasps were on the front side and he didn’t want to shift the boy just yet.

He explained the problem in soft words, feeling elated when the boy seemed to understand with an exhausted nod; and slipped out his jacket; folding it under the boy’s head to give him something soft to rest his head on as he worked to remove the rest of the bonds.

By the time he was done; the boy was unconscious.

*

Jensen paced the length of the waiting room as he awaited the verdict on his _John Doe._  Although he knew nothing about the other Were- not even the kid’s name; he somehow felt responsible for him. And maybe it was just that he was pretty much the only ranking Were in the Precinct but somehow; something told him that he would have cared about what happened to _this_ Were even if he hadn’t.

“Captain Ackles?”

Jensen looked up; relieved to find the familiar blue eyes as he strode towards the medical practitioner, “Dr. Collins... how is he?”

“You know him? And I’ve told you before; call me Misha”

Jensen tipped his head in acknowledgement, “No... We just found him at that hellhole. He was in a pretty bad shape.”

The doctor nodded, “Yeah... the list of his injuries is extensive”

“What is it?” Jensen questioned; noticing the thoughtful expression on his friend’s face as he followed the doctor to where the boy was slumbering on a bed.

“You know he was drugged; right?”

Jensen raised an eyebrow; clearly he hadn’t known that.

Misha nodded; “Well; it was quite a cocktail they were plying him with- I’m still not sure of most of the components; but one of the things he was injected with was definitely a suppressive.”

“You mean... for his heats?”

The doctor nodded.

Jensen squeezed his eyes shut in dismay; an Omega’s heats were important; although in recent years some Omega’s opted to use suppressive; it was still a private decision. Being forced out of his heats had to have messed with the boy’s well being.

“Now; with all the scarring he’ll not be able to relieve himself the natural way during his heat; but given the fact that he was drugged with unknowns so regularly; I don’t want to prescribe a suppressive.”

“Won’t he heal by the time his heat rolls around?”

Misha just looked at him sadly, “No; stopping the drugs is going to trigger a heat. And sooner rather than later... And considering we flushed the rugs from his system as much as we could; I wouldn’t be surprised if he went into heat within a fortnight.”

“Damn”

“It’s a pretty bad situation” The doctor agreed; hesitating before he continued “err... what I actually wanted to talk to you about was taking him in-”

“What? Misha, no... You know-”

“You do know that this hospital is not exactly equipped to deal with Weres; don’t you? And if he goes into heat like I expect him to-“

Jensen closed his eyes, opening them to watch the (for now) peacefully snoozing boy. His hand somehow automatically wound itself into the boy’s hair; and even unconscious the boy turned towards his touch.

“What about the Centre? That’s equipped for Weres-“

“He reacts positively to you, Jensen. And if you place him at the centre- although it’s better equipped to deal with him; I can almost guarantee it’s going to cause more harm than not.”

Jensen looked at the doctor and saw his friend instead.

“What do you suggest I do?”

“Take him to your place... He came to once while we were treating him; poor thing panicked so bad we had to sedate him... He doesn’t react well to crowds. I’d recommend private care if you can manage it.”

Jensen looked at the boy again and nodded, “Okay. Tell me what to do”

*

Jared woke up in a strange room; on a strange place and with the knowledge that his ownership had changed hands. And while it appeared that his new owner did want him to at least have a bed; the sheer agony lighting up every single cell in his body told him that his situation hadn’t improved.

The soft click of the lock as the door pushed open had him slamming his eyes shut. _Hopefully, if he was ‘asleep’ he would be left alone. For now_

 The soft footsteps alerted him to the fact that unfortunately; that wasn’t the case.

He inhaled the scent of _alpha_ and kept his eyes closed; willing the Were (cause there was no way he was anything else) to leave.

He felt the blankets covering him being moved and had to force himself to maintain the charade. _Maybe active participation wouldn’t be required..._

_*_

Tears itched behind his closed eyelids as he felt gentle hands pushing one leg up to open him. He allowed his body to be shifted, still pretending slumber... but failed to hold back his pained moan when fingers touched his abused entrance.

“Sshhh... easy, kid”

He stilled; knowing fighting wouldn’t help. At least, not while he was still too weak to fight properly. Besides, he didn’t have a prayer of winning against an alpha’s strength.

He allowed his body to go lax, permitting the alpha to rub something cold and wet (lubricant?) into his skin. And then found himself surprised when the man moved away. He returned after a moment to continue rubbing a different liquid on the welts and scars marring his skin.

Jared succeeded in keeping the frown off his face although the strangeness of the situation bothered him.

He was then shifted again so that the man could take care of the injuries to his front.

And maybe therein lay the answer... perhaps this alpha was just a healer his new Master had summoned to prepare him for round two.

He was jerked back from his thoughts when a thumb rested against his bottom lip pushing gently; his eyes flying open in surprise.

Concerned emerald eyes greeted him.

“Hey”

He opened his mouth to speak, but the finger pressed up, stopping him; “Sshh... don’t try to talk- the bridle they forced on you caused quite a bit of damage”

He nodded.

The thumb rubbed gently against his lip again, “Can- can you open for me; please?”

He obeyed wordlessly, taken aback when the man moved his hand to cradle his jaw as he applied some sort of ointment to the sores in his mouth with the help of a cotton swab.

“Better?”

He nodded for want of a better response.

The man smiled, carding a hand through Jared’s hair before rising and moving away.

“I’m Jensen, by the way...I-I was with the team that found you. This is my house, and you’re welcome to stay here till we locate your Pack...” The man paused, eyeing him critically, “Are you awake enough for conversation?”

Jared moved to sit up in response but he was firmly- albeit gently; pushed back down.

“Don’t get up just yet... As for the conversation; given the state of your mouth, I’ll be the only one doing the talking. All you need to do is listen and you don’t need to sit for that. So-“

Jared blinked. Despite his gruff manner, the alpha was obviously trying to be gentle. He wondered why.

“Now correct me if I’m wrong...but we found you in Scott’s den and given your state; I doubt you were there out of choice. Am I right?”

Jared nodded uncertainly.

The alpha- _Jensen_ gave a brisk nod, “Right; so I don’t know how you wound up in his net but the list of your injuries is extensive and you’ve been recommended complete bed-rest. I’ll expect you to stick to that... And since we don’t know your name yet; and given that you were the only Were found, we’ve been simply calling you ‘Mega for now... that okay with you? Or are you able to enlighten us?”

Jared shook his head. _Why on earth did this alpha want his name?_

The alpha sighed, “Alright, we’ll work on that but just so you know, your name would go a long way towards locating your Pack-”

_His Pack? Wha-? Why was the alpha talking about locating his pack? Didn’t he want him?_

He nodded nevertheless, feeling uncertain.

“Now I’ve been told you’re to avoid solid meals for awhile-” Jensen made a face, clearly not fond of the idea; “And that you may go into heat soon-”

Something of his panic must have flickered on his face because the alpha hastened to reassure, “But I think we’re safe for now; yeah? And I need to head to work, so I’ll be on my way... just- if you need anything at all; please call me? My numbers already programmed in the phone next to your bed, all you need to do is press one and dial. Your food-atleast what’s allowed of it is next to the phone. I’m the only one with the key to this place and I promise you’re safe here. Okay?”

Jared nodded again, slightly bewildered by the flood of information; but feeling strangely reassured.

“And oh, I know it might seem like you’ll heal faster if you shift; but the bastard poisoned you with silver... so _don’t_ shift. You’ll just end up tearing your stitches...rest up, okay? I’ll see you in the evening”

And with that the strange alpha left.

Jared sank back into the bed.

He did feel better with whatever the man had applied to his injuries; but he was still exhausted and he felt safe for the moment.

He would deal with everything else later.

*

Jensen returned home that evening to find the younger Were in his kitchen and while his rational side was aware that he should be impressed with the younger man’s determination; his primary reaction was concern. And sadly, his worry translated as anger when he growled, “Thought I had asked you to stay in bed?”

He watched as the Omega paled visibly, stuttering out a “S-sso-sorry”

Jensen sighed, cursing himself inwardly for frightening the poor boy, “It’s fine... just- I’m worried about you, man...”

And it must have been the right thing to say as the Omega relaxed, reaching out with a shaky hand back towards the pot he had been stirring when Jensen’s entry had interrupted him.

Jensen took in the single plate on the counter and realizing the injured Were planned to pick up the heavy pot; moved swiftly. “Allow me” he murmured, reaching around the boy to lift the pan (of pasta, he saw) and plate it himself.

The Omega flinched at his proximity but held his place.

Jensen sighed as he inhaled the savoury aroma of the gravy and felt his empty stomach (he’d skipped lunch) rumble in anticipation; remembering that the boy wasn’t allowed solid food for awhile yet.

“Kid... I-I’m sorry but you really shouldn’t be eating this...”

The boy’s expression shifted between a shrug and curiosity so he added, “It’s not good for the sores in your mouth...and-”

Even though he remained silent, the expressive eyes asked and _what-?_

“ _And_ you’ve got anal tearing, Kiddo” He added softly, hoping he wouldn’t have to explain anymore.

Jensen stole a glance towards the boy and nearly laughed out loud; for although the boy wasn’t speaking, his expression quite eloquently said _‘you’re stupid’_ as he pushed the plate towards Jensen.

He froze, “Wait, you- you _knew?”_

A nod

“And this- this is for me?”

Another nod... and Jensen felt colour creep into his cheeks, “Oh... I-I mean you didn’t have to, Kid. But _thank you_. Really”

The boy smiled softly and Jensen abruptly realized that the boy had _dimples_.And he was swaying ever so slightly with exhaustion. Without another word, he picked him up, cradling him against his chest in a bridal hold, “Bed or Couch?”

The boy looked at him in surprise, his silence screaming- _You’re giving me a choice?_

He merely shrugged, lifting an eyebrow to wordlessly repeat his question.

The boy blushed adorably before lifting a hand to point it in the direction of the couch.

*

By the third day they had both settled into an easy camaraderie and a routine of sorts. Every morning before leaving for work and at night just prior to bed, Jensen would apply the ointment to Jared’s injuries and while it was still embarrassing; Jared soon learnt that the older Were meant no harm.

It was on the fourth day that Jensen came home to find the younger man on the couch with a book in hand.

“You can read?”

Jared simply quirked an eyebrow.

“Why didn’t you tell me? I could have already learnt your name, Kid... No matter; we’ll remedy that now”

Jared frowned before picking up the pen and paper that Jensen handed to him. He handed it back after a moment.

Jensen looked at what the boy had written, eyes widening when he read the scrawl:

**Puppy**

“This- this is what Scott called you?”

The boy nodded.

“I wanna know your real name, Kid.”

Jared resolutely looked awy refusing to answer.

Jensen sighed, “Fine; but just so you know; I’m going to find the answer one way or other.”

*

The following day, Jensen took him to the precinct to pick out the suspects from a line up.  And although he knew he was safe behind the one way glass, seeing his abusers again had him shaking uncontrollably. The alpha came over to wrap him in an embrace wordlessly, allowing the younger man to bury his head against his neck till he calmed.

*

Later that night while they were watching some movie Jared leaning against the older Were while Jensen absently petted his head; the alpha enquired about how long he had been with Scott.

Jared held up two fingers, still reluctant to talk even though the sores in his mouth were almost healed thanks to his Were healing capabilities.

“Two... _months?”_

“Years,” The omega’s voice was scratchy and rough with disuse.

He felt the alpha stiffen and glanced up.

Jensen was staring at him with something akin to admiration. “You really are one brave Kid; you know that?”

Jared smiled sleepily, re-settling himself against the warmth of the older male; feeling a warmth bloom in his chest at the unexpected praise.

*

Jensen woke to the sound of whimpers and rushed to the bedroom only to find the boy twisting and moaning softly. Wondering if the boy was trapped in some sort of nightmare, he stepped inside and was immediately assaulted by an unexpectedly tempting scent.

The boy’s heat had hit earlier than expected.

*

Jared woke to see Jensen standing at the door to his room and while a part of him cringed at the alpha- at _anyone_ seeing him like this; something in him clamoured for the alpha- knowing that the man was the key to ease his suffering. He whined low in his throat, staring with soft eyes towards the alpha and praying the man understood.

*

Jensen steeled himself and stepped into the room, swifty pulling his sleep-shirt over his head as he approached the bed. Jared looked wide-eyed at the half-naked man, fear coiling in his belly as he remembered all the times he had been in a similar situation while in Scott’s captivity.

“Wha-?”

Jensen grinned; “You have amazing timing, know that? I couldn’t have timed your heat better if I wanted to-”

Jared shrank against the sweat soaked sheets, trying to keep his terrified howls from spilling, “I-I don’t-”

The green-eyed man frowned, “You didn’t realize you were in heat?”

Jared felt his blood turn to ice at the words, a low keen escaping his throat even as he worked to keep his fear hidden.

“C’me on Kid; its gonna be alright...you’ve had heats before; right?”

Mutely he shook his head.

Jensen cursed long and colourful at that, rubbing a hand through the short bristles of his hair and mussing up the tousled locks even worse before turning to face the boy again; “It’s going to be okay... I’ll help you through this, if-if you let me. Will you allow me to help?”

Jared nodded frantically, desperate for any sort of assistance.

Jensen gently carded a hand through sweaty locks, “You’re not allowed to shift yet, okay?”

Frenetic nodding

Giving a smile and a brisk nod, he stepped back, smoothly shifting to his wolf form and climbing on the bed to nuzzle the boy’s throat.

Jared went stock still as the russet coloured wolf joined him on bed. Heart going a mile-a minute; he watched familiar green eyes (despite the lupine face) regard him solemnly for a moment licking a broad stripe against his face eliciting a startled giggle. The unexpected affection had him relaxing against the massive wolf; snuggling close to the huge body as he unconsciously wound his fingers through the soft fur, petting gently.

Jared wasn’t sure how it worked; but something about the wolf’s presence soothed the ache inside him. Jensen’s lupine form was docile enough, tail thumping softly against the boy’s leg as he allowed Jared to curl around him. A soft yelp escaped the wolf when a sudden cramp had Jared’s fingers clawing in his fur; but he didn’t move away.

*

Misha peered into the room, “Rough heat?”

Jensen exhaled noisily, “That’s an understatement, Doc... It’s been three days like this and frankly, I’m getting worried”

Misha sighed, “I was afraid of this...”

“And that’s not the first part-” The alpha added, “This is the kid’s first heat”

“What???” The human doctor was appalled, “But that means... Jesus, man! How long did Scott have him anyway?”

“Two years”

Misha frowned, “Thats- that doesn’t compute”

“What do you mean?”

“Omega Weres begin their Heats early... if your boy never had a heat before getting captured by Scott; he had to have been younger than ... say fourteen-fifteen... but he’s what? Eighteen now ? So either he was in there longer or he’s younger than we think.”

Jensen bit his lip, considering the implications of that, “Alright, fine... I’ll look into it.But for right now, there has to be something to help him; right? Other than a knot?”

“I could sedate him-?” The doctor offered.

“Is that an option?” The alpha questioned.

Dr. Collins nodded, “Yeah... yes. It won’t affect his heat; but he’ll be unconscious for it at least.”

The cop considered it for a moment before conceding, “Okay. Do it”

*

The omega’s whimpers tapered off as the duo neared, eventually stopping altogether except for the occasional moan. Jensen combed a careful hand through the younger man’s hair; feeling oddly gratified when the boy pushed into his hand.

“Still got that magic touch, I see” Misha teased as he watched the exchange.

Jensen scowled, “Just do your job, Misha”

The doctor nodded as he riffled through his bag to pull out a vial and a sterile syringe; a sharp howl of distress leaving the omega as his eyes followed the doctor’s hands.

Jensen reached down to pet him softly, “Sshhh... its okay Kid... You’re safe; okay. You’re safe. I’ve got you, Kiddo... You know I would never let anyone hurt you, right? It’s okay.... Sshhh-sshhh”

Misha bit back a smile as one of the fiercest cops he knew melted into this gentle creature in the face of a poor omega, administering the sedative while the alpha had his patient distracted.

*

Jensen stood at the kitchen door silently observing the young Omega who had finally recovered from the Heat from hell (as he liked to think of it privately). It was endearing how the younger man was still so skittish but also so totally at home in Jensen’s house.

He almost regretted breaking the peaceful picture, but steeling himself; he whispered, “Jared?”

The omega froze, turning to face Jensen with a deer-caught-in-headlights look.

And although it was confirmation enough, the alpha still found himself asking, “Jared? Jared Tristan Padalecki?”

“How- how did you know?” The boy whispered.

But Jensen could barely see through the haze of his tears, let alone speak as he swept the younger man in a tight embrace.

He felt a hesitant hand on his back after a moment and forced himself to speak, “You- you were an alpha...”

The omega nodded, “I was turned”

“Scott?” Jensen pulled back to look at Jared’s face.

The boy nodded.

“So... there were _Werewolves involved with Scott?!_ ”

Jared shook his head, “No... No, it was- it was the humans. They rather enjoyed an Omega’s _special features”_ his voice twisting on the words till there was no confusion left about which _special features_ he was talking about.

“I-I’m so sorry, Jay”

“Not your fault” The omega muttered.

“Can-can I ask how they did it? I mean, I was under the impression that only alpha Weres had the ability-?”

“They put something in me” The omega confessed haltingly, “It was inflatable and-” His voice trailed off, but Jensen didn’t need to hear anymore to understand what he was describing.

The alpha in him was furious, clawing and snarling to avenge his Were-brother; but he pushed down the blood-thirsty instinct in favour of comforting the trembling young man in his arms.

*

Jensen watched surreptiously from the corner of his eye as the omega- Jared, he corrected immediately, watched fascinated-ly out of the window.

“Where are we going?” He asked again.

The alpha smiled, shaking his head; “You’ll see”

*

It was only when they had nearly reached their destination that the younger man seemed to catch on to their objective.

“Why- why are you taking me there?”

Jensen looked at him sharply at that, “You don’t want to see your folks?”

“I- They-they can’t see me like this!” He answered, panicked.

“Kid, your Pack has been frantic... they never gave up looking for you, Jared. They love you”

“You don’t understand!”

Jensen frowned at the panic in the omega’s voice- _was he missing something?_ “Then explain, please”

“They- they lost an alpha son...”

Jensen nodded, “So?”

“That son is not coming back, Jen... He’s lost forever...and they never had an omega son”

“They’re still your parents, Kid... they still love you. And your Pack Alpha Jim? He nearly wept with joy when I spoke to him”

*                                                                                                                             

Jensen watched as Jared was swept away in hugs and kisses; the boy’s mother practically glued to his arm. He spoke briefly to the Pack Alpha, explaining the situation with delving in too much depth and assuring him that now that they had Scott; there was no way either the human or the Were community were letting him get away.

Sneaking one last look at the Omega, watching the radiant smile on his face now that he was no longer worried about being disowned by his family; he drove back to the city satisfied that he had finished his job. And done it well

*

\------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

And that would have been the end of Jensen and Jared’s story had not Alpha Jim unexpectedly invited Jensen to Jared’s mating ceremony a couple of months later.

\------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

***** **Now** *****

“It’s good to see you, Alpha” Jared’s older brother; a beta of about the same age as Jensen greeted.

“Please... call me Jensen” the outsider smiled.

“Want me to show you around?”

“That would be nice” Jensen agreed; as he feel into pace next to the beta.

“Ever seen a SnowPeak mating ceremony?” Aiden asked.

“No...no- haven’t really seen a mating outside my own Pack” Jensen confessed “Must admit,  I’m curious”

Aiden smiled the same wide smile that Jensen had grown used to seeing on Jared’s face, “Well; you see that bowl o’er there?”

The city-dweller peered in the direction he was pointed at and saw a crystal bowl holding pride of place on the table. “Yeah”

“All the alphas who want to mate with the prospective Omega put their names in it.”

Jensen frowned, “The bowl’s empty”

Aiden nodded sadly, “Yeah, apparently my brother still has a little too much alpha left in him to attract too many suitors”

“That’s ridiculous! Any alpha will be lucky to have Jared as his... or her mate”

Aiden smiled at Jensen’s reaction, “Unfortunately, you’ll find few alphas to share your opinion. They was small, dainty submissive little things... my brother, regrettably; is neither small nor submissive. And as for dainty... lets just say everyone here was there was his awkward growth spurt when he used to trip over empty air”

Jensen forced out the expected laugh, perking up when he saw the first suitor drop his name into bowl. Aiden’s expression darkened.

The unknown alpha had obviously overheard their earlier conversation because he announced, “I like them feisty!”

“I’ll bet” the beta muttered.

“What?”

Aiden shook his head, “Nothing was ever proved, but that bastard’s last two omegas didn’t survive. I’d rather not have my brother become a third.”

“Don’t worry... this is just the beginning” Jensen reassured.

The omega’s brother shook his head sadly; “But that’s the thing; isn’t it? Those humans took what was never theirs when they touched my brother... and alphas don’t like used wares”

“But-but surely they can’t hold that against Jared? He was abducted! And tortured!”

“I know. As does everybody else... and nobody’s blaming Jared... but no one wants him either”

Jensen frowned; pursing his lips as he glanced towards the pristine white tent that housed the Omega-bride till the decision hour.

“What happens when multiple suitors are there?”

“The omega is informed and asked for his or her preference... if there is none; the suitors are eliminated the traditional way”

Jensen gave a brief nod; eyes focussing briefly on the only alpha who had offered to claim the Omega he had come to see as his friend before sweeping through the rest of the crowd in a practiced glance.

“Aiden, do me a favour?”

The beta was slightly taken aback at the sudden _alpha_ in Jensen’s tone; but acquiesced.

“Take me to your Alpha, please”

“My- my alpha?”

Jensen nodded, “Yeah, I believe it’s time I had a word with Jim”

“Oh, you mean Pack Alpha”

Jensen curved an eyebrow and the beta laughed, “I can see where Jared learnt that”

Jensen shook his head, joining in the laughter although his mind was miles away.

*

The golden light of the setting sun bathed the entire area in its soft orange glow as the gong sounded to announce the suitors who would be vying for the Omega’s hand.

Jensen looked towards the white tent across the field as Jared emerged, surrounded by his mother and other omegas from the Pack. It did not surprise him; but it was interesting to see the way his friend towered over the others. A part of him was disheartened to realize that the younger man would have made an impressive alpha but had been forced to give up his right due to the callous treatment of a handful of humans.

The omega kept his head bowed demurely as the first name was broadcast; but Jensen didn’t miss the almost imperceptible shiver that ran through him at the announcement.

“And we have Jensen Ross Ackles of the PineWood Pack offering himself as our boy’s alpha-suitor as well.”

Hushed murmurs started at the unexpected proclamation, forcing the pack alpha to explain, “We have all known Mark Lenz. He doesn’t need further description... and as for Captain Ackles; he was with the human team that found and rescued our boy from human clutches. He is the one responsible for us having our boy here with us; and he has just expressed interest to claim Jared as his own...provided Jared returns his affections and is agreeable to the match... And so, there we have it, people... two suitors for our very own Jared Padalecki!”

Through the applause around him, Jensen watched as Jared raised his head and caught his eye, a perfectly arched eyebrow raised in question. Jensen nodded imperceptibly.

And although it was impossible to tell at this distance; he thought he saw Jared’s face brighten, before there was a blur hurtling towards him. He planted his feet and steadied himself as the omega launched himself at him, nearly knocking him to the ground. Jensen laughed, as he hugged Jared back equally ferociously, “You’re sure about this?”

Soft strands tickled his nose as the younger man nodded.

“I’m from a different pack, Jay... you’re understand what that means, right?”

“I thought you didn’t want me anymore” He whispered, still clinging tightly to the alpha.

Jensen shook his head, “Home’s just not the same without you”

Jared nodded, “I missed you too”

Jensen smiled, turning to Alpha Jim with an arm still ‘round his mate as he accepted the pen and signed the spots shown. Jared made no move to step away through the long arduous process of signing the myriad documents to make their mating official.

Jensen nuzzled at his neck once he was done, “ready to hit the road?”

With one last look towards his family, Jared nodded, “Yeah.... Let’s go”... _home_

 

 

*--(#)--*

The End.


End file.
